The Perfect Layout

Category: Communication Platform

Throughout the United States, prisons are under constant budgetary pressure and are always encouraged to be as self-sufficient as possible. While many critics decry the high rates that prisoners often pay for phone calls, much of these exorbitant costs can be explained by the fact that prisons are often required to generate revenues in any way possible.

Companies like Securus Technologies play an important part in generating crucial revenues from prison phone systems. This money is used to keep prisons adequately staffed and to aid directly in the investigation of crimes and maintain the phone systems themselves as crime free forms of communication.

In the state of Louisiana, Securus provides an average of 71 percent of all revenues it collects from inmate calling to the facilities themselves. It has done this while managing to keep the average cost of a phone call in the state to just $0.15 per minute, a rate low enough so that almost any inmate can stay in nearly constant contact with his loved ones.

Still, some critics claim that the rates that inmates pay for phone calls should match those that are paid in the free market. However, wardens and administrators warn that such expectations are not realistic. The phone systems within prisons need to be kept secure. This entails the monitoring of all conversations to ensure that the system is not being abused for criminal purposes or to violate the rules of the institution. Such services require manpower and technology, things that suck valuable resources away from other tasks that prison staff must carry out.

For this reason many wardens have advised their critics, should they succeed in forcing market rates upon prison phone systems, they will have no choice but to remove the phones entirely, leaving inmates and their families no way to communicate with one another.

Securus Technologies is a leader in the provision of technology solutions regarding criminal and civil justice for corrections, public safety, monitoring, and investigation. The company published numerous customer reviews on the use of technology to prevent and solve various forms of crimes. According to PRNewswire, the comments included email communications and formal letters from jail and prison officials across the United States. The jail and prison officials are those tasked with increasing the safety of the incarceration environment, and preventing and solving crimes.

The CEO of the company, Mr. Rick Smith, said that the firm averagely develops a new product once a week which aims at helping corrections and law enforcement officials to fight crimes. The chairman further stated that they focus on protecting and serving the society, parolees, inmates, and their families.

Rick further said that the company receives many emails and letters in line with the products and services they offer. For instance, one customer expressed gratitude following the use of information from the customer’s phone by Securus to secure a search warrant that led to the arrest of a corrupt staff member who introduced contraband to a jail facility. Another comment said that the customers pride themselves in the company’s vision for improving the posture of jail security. Others noted that the investigative techniques are efficient in enabling the staff to carry out investigations following potential security breaches and harassment complaints.

Securus Technologies serves many corrections, law enforcement and public safety agencies, and inmates throughout North America. The firm has headquarters in Dallas, Texas. The company dedicates itself in the provision of incident management, emergency response, investigation, communication, inmate self-service, and public information among other services.

Securus Technologies’ cutting edge solutions advocate for modernization of incarceration and improvement of public safety. Many companies rely on them for secure and straightforward technologies that are easy to use and access. The firm aims at maintaining remarkable customer service to all.

Recently, prison communications leader Securus Technologies issued a challenge to long time foe GTL. Securus offered to face off the companies’ respective video visitation technologies. The contest was to be judged by a trusted third party. GTL declined to participate. Securus views this as the ultimate vindication of their video visitation product and a tacit admission on the part of GTL that their technologies cannot compete on a level playing field with those of Securus. Thus, Securus maintains its position as the unquestioned leader in the inmate communications industry.

Game-changing technology serves multiple customer groups

There’s no question that Securus’ video visitation systems have been a tremendous benefit to the inmates and family members who have been able to access them. Catching on like a contagion, the system has been installed in a huge number of U.S. prisons, mostly driven by popular demand. The cost savings to inmates and their families are huge due to the low cost of VoIP-based phone calls as well as the burden of having to come to the prison for in-person visits being lifted.

But there have also been great benefits for the guards and administrators at the prisons where the systems have been installed. The fully integrated suite of investigatory solutions make things like detecting unauthorized parties or communication almost completely automated. Many serious security threats, such as incarcerated gang members communicating with others in the gang on the outside, have been drastically reduced due to the system’s astounding capabilities.

Video visitation and VoIP telephony generally have made detecting and monitoring conversations involving criminal activity a nearly completely automated process. Through the use of artificial intelligence, voice recognition and other biometric techniques, Securus is offering products which can make prisons safer than many would have dreamed possible, even a decade ago.

The education startup ClassDojo has recently completed a Series B round of funding worth $22 million, according to reports. The money will be used to further develop their communication platform that helps teachers and parents stay in communication throughout the school year.

ClassDojo aims to make parent-teacher meetings a thing of the past. By using the company’s app, parents can be in contact with their child’s teacher throughout the day. They can monitor progress and become aware of any issues that may arise. This way there will be no surprises when the student brings home a report card or progress report.

Co-founders Sam Chaudhary and Liam Don view the ClassDojo app as a tool that parents can use to help their children be more successful at school. With the app teachers can use the app to take and send photos or video to parents, documenting the student’s progress and achievements.

By creating a positive culture withing the classroom and schools, ClassDojo has seen their app being used by more and more teachers. Currently, the app is being used in 85,000 schools throughout the United States. That translates to the app being used in 2 out of 3 schools with the majority of active users teaching K-8 grades.

Instead, the company is looking to other ways to bring in revenue. New featured could be added to the app that will allow parents to purchase custom yearbooks, lesson plans, or study guides. There may even be a time when parents can pay for school related items like lunches, field trips or supplies directly from the app. This would eliminate the need for parents to go to the school to pay in person or risk sending a check along with the student.

Founded in 2011, the San Francisco-based company has raised just over $31 million and is becoming a major player in the education technology space. The most recent round of funding was led by General Catalyst with new investors including Reach Capital, GSV, and SignalFire.